Tormented by not knowing who brutally murdered her seven-year-old daughter and unable to grieve properly, Sharon Henderson embarked on a 31-year fight for the truth.
Devoting her life to battling for justice for her little girl, Nikki Allan, she never gave up hope that one day the man who battered and stabbed her child before callously dumping her body would be caught and jailed.
The single mother lived in the Garth flats over Sunderland’s docks, bringing up her three other daughters, helped by her parents nearby while she campaigned assiduously for detectives to reinvestigate the crime.
Over three decades, she would repeatedly pass on information she picked up in the community in Sunderland and speak out in the media to keep up the pressure on the police. But despite extensive appeals by her and Northumbria Police and even a reconstruction on the BBC Crimewatch show, Nikki’s murder went unsolved – until this week.
David Boyd, a neighbour who attacked the girl with a brick and stabbed her 37 times before dumping her bloodied body in a derelict building, was found guilty of murder after a trial at Newcastle Crown Court. Asked after the verdict how she found the strength to keep fighting, Ms Henderson said simply: “Because Nikki’s my daughter and I love her.”
This story is from the May 14, 2023 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the May 14, 2023 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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